On Jan. 31 next year the Jazz are going to retire a number in honor of Jerry Sloan.

For 23 years Sloan was the Utah Jazz — not the face of it (that would be John Stockton and Karl Malone) but the driving force behind a franchise that played smart, intense basketball. Even in the years their talent was down they were a tough night on the schedule, with their committment to a flex offense and hard-nosed defense. His teams had a 60.3 percent winning percentage over 26 seasons (he spent three in Chicago prior to coming to Utah).

Sloan was old-school tough and his teams reflected that night in and night out. They were gritty. In their best years they were a legitimate foil to Michael Jordan’s Bulls.